Not Quite Innocent
by kitkatkookoo
Summary: Being almost-grown-up is an interesting time, especially when your best friend is perfect, the closest boys to you are a bunch of troublemakers, and you're stuck somewhere in the middle. 7th year and on, from POV of Mandy Kendrick. L/J SB/OC
1. All Aboard

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter's world, including - but not limited to - Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore, and _Wingardium Leviosa_. If I did, I would simply publish another book and make some money, rather than posting this story online for free. But alas, I am but a poor waitress...

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Books: check. School robes: check. Six years' accumulation of red and gold accessories: check.

Everything seemed to be in order; or at least, all of the necessary school supplies and articles of clothing were packed away in a somewhat haphazardly fashion inside the large, heavy trunk. With a grunt, Mandy forced the lid down on her possessions and, after a few seconds of determined struggle, managed to latch it shut. With a sigh, she turned and sat on top of the difficult piece of luggage, closing her eyes in exhaustion for a moment. She was not a morning person, and 8AM was – in her opinion – a most indecent time to be awake. Aside from being spoiled by the lazy days of summer, she had put off all her packing until the night before. Which, inevitably, led to her growing bored halfway through and leaving the rest for this morning.

A loud rapping on her door caused her eyes to snap open.

"Are you ready in there yet? We need to hurry if we're going to make it to the station on time." Mandy's mother, Mrs. Kendrick, was a highly organized woman who loved nothing better than scheduling every day down to the minute and absolutely never procrastinated anything. These were all skills she had failed to pass on to her one and only child, a fact which antagonized her to no end.

"Almost, mom," Mandy called back. "I just want to double check everything one last time before we go."

This was what Mandy liked to consider a white lie. Yes, she wanted to double check, but it wasn't her school things she was concerned about. After all, if she forgot anything, she would just ask her mother to send it to her via owl. Nothing worth stressing over, really. What Mandy _was_ checking was herself.

She moved in front of her mirror, smoothing out microscopic wrinkles in her shirt and checking out her own backside. _Hmm, still small,_ she thought critically before turning her attentions elsewhere. That wasn't something she could do anything about. Things that were in her power included fixing her makeup (not that she wore hardly enough to be noticed, but hey, a girl's got to preen), making sure her hair fell the way she wanted it to, and twisting the strand of her necklace so that the clasp was behind her neck. Finally satisfied with her minute and generally pointless adjustments, she smirked at her reflection.

_Hogwarts, you're going down._

~*~

Somewhere between home and King's Cross Station, her arrogance slipped away and transformed into an eager nervousness. It had been a while since she'd seen most of her friends, and she'd been looking forward to seeing them again all summer. Lily had been in France with her parents for the past two months, making anything beyond owl correspondence impossible. Mandy had gotten a part time job in Mr. Kendrick's office, and thus hadn't been very good at keeping in touch with Kate and Marcy. Even though they'd stayed home for the summer holidays, Mandy had only seen them twice. She might have felt bad, but she knew that they were closest with each other anyway.

Beyond that, Mandy wasn't close enough to anyone to really care about getting together over the summer. Once, when buying produce for her mother in an outdoors market, she ran into Remus Lupin. They had exchanged pleasantries, but the boy was so quiet and timid without his more rambunctious counterparts that there had been no further catching up beyond that. Another time she might have spied a girl that was a couple years younger than her, but she was on the other side of the park from her and couldn't be sure.

Despite her lack of contact with her magical friends, the summer hadn't been bad. Mrs. Kendrick took her on several outings with old family friends, and Mandy had reconnected with some of her childhood playmates. Not that they had much in common any more, what with them being muggles and her being a witch, but it had been nice, nonetheless.

Plus, Mandy liked to think that she had done a bit of growing up since she left Hogwarts a few months ago. Having a job – albeit a part time one – had given her a new perspective on what life after graduation would be like, and she was proud to purchase new dress robes with money that she had worked hard to earn. She felt that she had matured a little physically, too. She may not have grown vertically in the past couple of years (it seemed she had reached a barrier at 5'4"), but her body was no longer that of a little girl and Mandy was quite pleased with the way things had proportioned themselves.

The sound of a car door being shut pulled her out of her thoughts, and with a start Mandy realized that they had already arrived at the train station. Mrs. Kendrick was struggling to pull the heavy trunk up and out of the small car, and Mandy hurried to unbuckle and help her mother.

Not ten minutes later, the two were standing at the magical barrier between platforms 9 and 10, through which Mrs. Kendrick could not pass. She hugged her daughter tightly, saddened by the fact she would not see her again until Christmas. While Mandy may have loved going to school so far away, she would never understand how hard it was on her parents to send their only daughter away for months at a time, into a world they couldn't begin to fully comprehend.

"Be safe, get good grades, and try to keep your things tidy for your roommates' sake," were the same words Mrs. Kendrick imparted every September.

"I promise not to blow myself up, it's not like I'm going to university now, and they love my clutter," was always the reply.

With a quick exchange of kisses on their cheeks, Mandy shoved her belongings through the stone wall and onto platform 9 ¾.

Any lingering butterflies flew away when she caught sight of a flash of fiery red hair. This was her world, these were her friends, and she was about to be on her way home. She made her way towards her best friend, smiling and waving to other students as she made her way through the crowd.

"Lily!" she called out when she got closer. The girl whirled around at her name, looking for the source. When she spotted Mandy, she bounded across the few remaining steps to tackle the shorter girl with a warm hug.

"Mandy!" she nearly squealed as she squeezed the breath out of the little brunette.

"Good to see you too, Lily," Mandy gasped out, giving a small pat on Lily's back, "but can you please let go? I'm finding it rather difficult to breathe, you see."

"Sorry," Lily said, with a grin that was anything but apologetic, "but Merlin, it's good to see you again! How have you been? Did you like working? Have you seen Kate and Marcy yet? I can't find them, and if they miss the train –"

"Lily! Lily, breathe!" Mandy interrupted, laughing at her friend's excitement. "I've been good, working was a great experience, and I haven't seen Kate and Marcy," she glanced around at this last statement in case they suddenly appeared, "but I'm sure they'll make the train. They always have before, and you know they like to push deadlines even more than I do."

Lily opened her mouth to reply, but was interrupted by the sudden arrival of one James Potter.

"Hello, Lily. Can I help you with your trunk?" he said smoothly, in a suave voice that Mandy was sure he had spent his entire life trying to perfect. She gave a small snort and crossed her arms over her chest, though her eyes were twinkling in amusement. Meeting the gaze of Sirius Black, James' partner in crime, she nodded her head towards James and Lily and made an exaggerated roll of her eyes. He grinned in response.

The not-quite-romance of James Potter and Lily Evans was a constant source of entertainment for their closest friends, and, if James was feeling particularly cocky, the whole school got to enjoy the drama as well.

The two hadn't exactly gotten along for the first several years of their time in Hogwarts, although things had begun to significantly improve last year. Poor Potter was completely smitten with the redhead, and Mandy had her suspicions that Lily harbored similar feelings for the dashing Quidditch star. Not that you'd ever hear Lily admit that, of course. And thus, sixth year had passed with James doing everything in his power to woo her, while Lily calmly tolerated his attentions with outward amusement and secret pleasure.

"Don't you need to worry about your own trunk?" Lily asked, not unkindly.

"Already on the train," he replied in an almost smug tone. Just because James had done some growing up in the last year or two, didn't mean his arrogance was completely weeded out. It still liked to pop up at the most random moments. "Come on, let me help you with it."

And with that, he grabbed up Lily's belongings and headed towards the train, Lily starting after him. She threw Mandy a quick but significant glance over her shoulder, then shrugged and followed along behind the man who would do anything for her.

Mandy watched them go, then turned to Black and raised an eyebrow at him. "Five galleons says she gives in by Christmas."

He gave a hearty laugh, holding his hand out to hers. "I say it'll only take until Halloween! Make it ten and you're on."

"Deal," Mandy said with a smirk, reaching out to shake on it. "Who wins the money if they never get together?"

"Ha! Have you seen the way he acts around her? No one can turn down that level of adoration forever."

Mandy chuckled appreciatively, then grabbed her trunk and the two began walking towards the scarlet train to find their respective friends.

__________

**Author Notes:**

I know this is starting out slow, but I'm trying to just introduce all the main players right now. Next chapter will be more of the same, with the background of starting classes up.

Please leave a review, I've never posted a story before and I'd like to know how I've been received. :)

Thanks for reading!

- Sara


	2. Arrival

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter's world, including - but not limited to - Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore, and _Wingardium Leviosa_. If I did, I would simply publish another book and make some money, rather than posting this story online for free. But alas, I am but a poor waitress...

**Author's Note:** I'd like to apologize for any errors you find in here. It's late at night (or early in the morning, depending on how you look at it), but I was in a hurry to finally get this up. I've had this chapter almost finished for over a week now, and I just wanted to be done with it. Unfortunately, that means I'm tired from a long night of work and a couple drinks afterward. ;) Hopefully you like it anyway!

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"James _Potter_ hugged you? And you _let_ him?" An excited squeal could be heard from the compartment three girls sat in. A curly-haired blonde was bouncing up and down on her seat, her large grin splitting her face in half, and looking as if she had just found out that Santa was real and they were on their way to go visit him in the North Pole.

"Shh, keep it down, will you? I'm sure Lily doesn't want the whole school to know before we've even arrived," the brunette sitting across from her admonished – though she, too, was smiling – as she reached over to slide the compartment door the rest of the way shut.

"Of course not; there's nothing _to_ know anyways. _Nothing_ is going on between us! We are simply getting along now, which is especially good since he's Head Boy with me this year." The redhead crossed her arms firmly, her bright green eyes staring at the blonde across from her and daring her to say otherwise.

The blonde, Kate Johnson, rolled her eyes with a laugh. "Uh huh. If you say so, Lily."

Lily threw her arms up in exasperation. "Oh! Mandy, help me, please?" Those green eyes transformed from angry to pleading in a heartbeat as she turned them on the brunette beside her, her full lips turned out in the tiniest hint of a pout.

Mandy fought valiantly to smother the smile trying to creep onto her own face, and chose to finally step in and help her best friend. Not that it was much of a choice; once Lily used her puppy-dog face, she pretty much always got what she wanted. The kicker of it was – at least, in Mandy's opinion – that Lily didn't even mean to do it. She just looked so genuine and sincere, you'd have to be heartless not to help the girl.

"Lay off her now, Kate. You know she's not interested in Potter that way. I'm sure it was just a friendly, innocent, 'nice to see you again' sort of hug," she told the blonde in what she hoped was a convincing tone. Truth was, Mandy wasn't even convinced of what she was saying, but Lily was her best friend and if she wanted rumors squashed, Mandy would squash them for her.

"But -"

"No buts about it! They're just friends! Isn't that right, Lily?"

Mandy could have sworn Lily's cheeks grew just a slight shade pinker, but she bobbed her wavy red hair in a nod and said, "That's right. Friends," and her tone was so firm that Mandy almost believed her. Almost.

Just then, the door slid open to reveal the woman with the food cart. "Anything off the trolly, dears?" she asked with the same sweet smile that Mandy had seen on her face since her first year.

The three girls hopped up to purchase their various sweets, and afterward fell into easier conversation about summer and clothes and the upcoming school year.

~*~

This was the beginning of Mandy's seventh year in the magical world, but there were some things that never ceased to amaze her. These things included horseless carriages, living in a castle, the enchanted ceiling in the great hall, and the fact that certain – otherwise inanimate – objects such as hats could talk.

Other things did get old though, like listening to the aforementioned hat ramble a silly song and then proceed to call out a long list of names and houses.

Mandy drummed her fingers on the table and glanced around the great hall at her fellow students as the sorting was performed. Lily, being Head Girl this year, was paying attention to where all the new students were placed like a good little authority figure. Kate and Marcy were whispering and giggling excitedly, while gazing at various attractive males they went to school with, ignoring the frequent reproachful glares Lily kept shooting them. Further down the table, Potter and his group of friends had their heads together and looked like they were already busy plotting trouble for the upcoming year, although Lupin at least seemed to be disapproving of some of the ideas Black and Potter came up with. At other house tables, Slytherins were sulky, several Ravenclaws already had out text books, and Hufflepuffs were giving friendly smiles to the first years.

Yes, all was just the same as it always was at the beginning of each year, and Mandy was bored and hungry. Did the sorting always take this long? She felt like the chocolate frogs and cauldron cakes she'd eaten on the train had been _ages_ ago. Her stomach grumbled uncomfortably.

As if on cue, Dumbledore stood up to give them all a few words of gibberish and repeat some of the rules that everyone broke each year, before saying wisely, "And now, without further ado, eat up!"

_Finally!_ As food magically appeared on all the tables, Mandy dug in eagerly. Only when she had some very healthy portions of nearly everything in sight and had shoveled a couple large bites into her mouth did she return some of her attentions to the people around her.

"...just rude, that's all I'm saying," Lily was looking harshly at Kate and Marcy, who were sitting across the table from her and not looking the least bit apologetic. "I mean, imagine how you would have felt in your first year if everyone was talking while you were up there!"

"Oh come off it, Lily! I'm sure they were glad to have a couple less pairs of eyes watching them. We had important catching up to do! We haven't hardly seen each other the last couple weeks, and all the latest gossip simply couldn't wait another moment," Kate said with a slight air of exasperation, as if this should be the most obvious thing in the world.

Marcy simply nodded her short black hair in smug agreement.

Lily furrowed her brows as she prepared to continue her scolding. Mandy sighed and swallowed her latest bite of food. She knew that the red head was taking her duty as Head Girl very seriously; it was a goal towards which she had worked very hard for the past several years. Still, Lily tended to get a bit overzealous in some matters. Mandy believed that it was her way of making up for the things she had no control over. Thus, it fell to the best friend – Mandy – to keep her in line from time to time. Or just distract her long enough to prevent a boring lecture that none of them wanted to hear.

"Well," Mandy interjected firmly, successfully cutting Lily off. "Maybe if Marcy hadn't spent the _entire_ train ride snogging Alex, she could have sat with us and caught up for a bit then." Despite her best efforts to look entirely serious as she said this, the amused twinkling of her eyes gave her away.

Nonetheless, her statement had the desired effect of lightening the mood and changing the subject.

"Hey!" Marcy exclaimed, her eyebrows shooting up her forehead while her cheeks turned a bright shade of red. "I'll have you know we were _not_ snogging the entire time!"

"Oh really?" Lily laughed, her head duties momentarily forgotten, and gestured to the nearby Ravenclaw table where a certain dark-skinned boy kept stealing glances towards them. When Marcy made eye-contact with him, he winked and blew her a kiss before turning back to his own group of friends.

"I don't know, Marcy. Looks like _Alex_ has kissing on _his_ mind," Kate teased, waggling her eyebrows up and down in a suggestive, ridiculous looking fashion. Swinging her arm around the now very red-faced girl, she then began singing loudly (and off-key): "Alex and Marcy, sitting in a tree! K-I-S- oof!"

The rest of the song was abruptly cut off when Marcy roughly elbowed her in the stomach. "Oh, sod off, Kate! And you two, as well!" She turned her glare towards Lily and Mandy, who were laughing loudly at the scene.

"There, there, Marcy," Mandy grinned between giggles. "If you get to have a boyfriend, we get to tease you whenever you ditch us for him. I'm pretty sure it's one of the official rules of friendship."

Marcy only harrumphed in response, but Mandy couldn't help but notice that when the black-haired girl risked sneaking a peak at the Ravenclaw table a few moments later, the corners of her mouth twitched up into what looked suspiciously like a smile.

~*~

After the feast, everyone made their slow, painful, I-just-way-ate-too-much-food march to the various house common rooms and the dormitories beyond. Lily had stayed behind to help the professors in making sure that everyone did indeed leave the Great Hall in the appropriate directions, and Mandy was walking just behind Kate and Marcy, only listening half-way to whatever they were discussing. She felt somewhat out of place in that moment, and it wouldn't be the last time that year.

The four Gryffindor girls were all close friends, but within that foursome there were two very distinct groups: Kate and Marcy vs. Lily and Mandy.

On the surface, Kate Johnson and Marcy Lang looked like complete opposites. Kate was fairly tall and very thin, with long, curly blonde hair and pale blue eyes. She was the sort of person that everyone noticed the moment she walked into a room, and she knew it. She carried herself with confidence in every situation, and could easily hold a conversation with anyone that passed her way. Despite all this, one of her greatest pleasures in life was poking fun at the people around her, although she somehow always managed to do so in a such a way that they didn't feel belittled or mocked, but rather noticed and appreciated. It was a gift that Mandy often wondered at.

Marcy, on the other hand, was a short girl, with short dark hair and dark, almond-shaped eyes. She was no stick-figure, but had the overall appearance of being soft rather than overweight. While she certainly had her own mind and opinions, if someone else shared the same viewpoints that she did, Marcy was much more comfortable agreeing with and backing them rather than being the first person to speak up. But she was a sweet and genuinely good person, and while she may not have turned heads the way Kate did, she was still well-known and well-liked in the school.

The biggest similarity between the two girls, which they had discovered early in their first year at Hogwarts, was their mutual love of gossip and drama. There wasn't a romance, break-up, or even fight between friends that the two of them didn't know about, and one of their favorite past-times was dissecting and analyzing the personal lives of the entire student body (and occasionally, if they were lucky, even the professors, although most of this was largely comprised of unlikely theories and rumors).

Mandy enjoyed hearing some of this girly chatter from time to time, but overall her interests lay elsewhere. Thus, that first year of school she had drifted closer to level-headed Lily. Unfortunately, it was times like these when Lily was preoccupied with her various duties that Mandy found herself feeling like a bit of a third wheel. The year was not even truly begun yet, so she had nothing to contribute to her two friends' conversation and she was too tired and too full to really care about learning the latest juicy detail they were going over.

The closer they got to Gryffindor tower, the more spaced out everyone became. Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs, and Slytherins had all disappeared off to their own common rooms wherever they may be, and younger students had all hurried to keep up with the prefects because they were worried about either getting lost or getting in trouble for being out too late. With only a smattering of older students left trickling behind, Mandy's attention drifted from her friends' gossip to other conversations.

A couple of sixth years were holding hands a little ways ahead of her, and softly telling each other how much they had missed one another during the summer. To the left of them, a fifth year boy was boasting to a couple of fourth years about the owl his mum had gotten him for his birthday.

"He's ruddy smart, that owl; I didn't miss a single letter this summer. Didn't matter if I was at home or at my grandparent's house in Dover, he always found me! Why, I'll bet he could find me if I was all the way in..."

Mandy tuned him out as she heard a loud burst of laughter behind her, and she turned her head to look back over her shoulder. Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew all seemed to be in stitches about something or another, and as she turned back around Mandy couldn't help the small smile on her own face. Those four boys (they were one short at the moment, of course, James Potter being elsewhere fulfilling his Head Boy duties) always managed to have such a good time entertaining themselves and, in turn, the entire school, and their care-free happiness was contagious. Sure, they spent a good deal of their time in and out of detentions, but even those seemed to be served with a positive attitude.

They all rounded a corner and finally, feet dragging after what felt like an epic trek through the castle, the last of the Gryffindors arrived at the portrait of the Fat Lady that guarded their tower. A fifth year prefect was kindly waiting for the last of the stragglers to arrive so she could let them in.

"The password is 'jibberjabber'," the frizzy-haired girl informed the group as the portrait swung forward, and they all clambered inside.

Mandy, Kate, and Marcy all trudged up to their dormitory, and after quickly changing into her night clothes and brushing her teeth, Mandy fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow. She had meant to wait up for Lily, but after a long day full of traveling and feasting, any talking would have to wait until morning.

__________

**A/N:** Again, this is still a lot of introduction and setup for the start of a new school year. I went more in depth on Kate and Marcy than anyone else because while they will be important to the story, they are still somewhat "extras." The main characters will be more fully explored and unraveled as the story progresses, and it just wouldn't be any fun to give everything away at the beginning.

Please leave a review, and if I've made any horrendous errors (as per above author's note) let me know so I can fix them.

- Sara


	3. Day One

******Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter's world, including - but not limited to - Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore, and _Wingardium Leviosa_. If I did, I would simply publish another book and make some money, rather than posting this story online for free. But alas, I am but a poor waitress...

__**Chapter 3: Day One**

_It was a hot day, and the filing room of Mr. Kendrick's office was particularly stuffy with it's complete lack of windows. The one ancient ceiling fan slowly turned above, barely managing to circulate the warm air and providing little respite for any who dared enter the small room._

_Mandy fanned herself with a folder in one hand while she thumbed through a file cabinet with the other. She was wearing only a light summer dress, hardly appropriate for the work place. Normally she would be dressed much more professionally, but it was just so hot..._

_The door behind her creaked open, and she turned to see who it was, although she already knew. Tall, dark, and handsome, the figure leaning against the doorway was always the same perfect man._

"_Looking for something?" she asked, her voice suddenly breathless._

"_Not any more," he replied, his deep voice thick with a Spanish accent. "I've already found you." The man straightened, and in just three long strides he had crossed the room to where she stood at the cabinet. He placed his arm around her waist and pulled her roughly to him._

_Dropping the folder, she threw her arms around his neck and tilted her face up to his._

"_Mandy..."_

_The way his voice caressed her name sent shivers up her spine, and she closed her eyes waiting for him to take her lips with his._

"_Mandy... Mandy..."_

_Eyes still closed, she furrowed her brow slightly. It was all well and good that he knew her name and said it quite delightfully, but he hardly needed to repeat it over and over. And how long was he going to keep her waiting?_

"Mandy!"

The curtains were ripped back from around her bed, and the bright, early morning light poured in over her. With a gasp, Mandy sat bolt upright. "Fuck! Am I late for work?" she cried out, blinking her eyes and trying to make sense of her surroundings.

Snickering came from across the room, and as her vision adjusted to the brightness of the room, she took note of the redhead standing beside her bed, hands on hips, smirk on lips.

"No," Lily said with a smile, "you're not late for work."

Mandy groaned and fell back onto her pillow.

"But you will miss breakfast if you don't get a move on."

"Fine, fine, I'll get up." Taking a deep breath, she mentally saved one last image of her dream-lover, then threw the covers aside and rolled out of bed.

"And that's some filthy language, young lady," Lily playfully chided as she walked away.

"First," Mandy retorted, digging a clean uniform out of her trunk, "you know I'm not much of a morning person. I can hardly be held accountable for what foul things come out of my mouth when I am so _rudely_ awakened."

"This is true!" Kate piped up from the bathroom, where she was brushing out her long, golden curls. "Remember when Marcy and I thought it might be funny to wake her with a splash of water to her face the summer after fifth year?"

"Indeed," said Marcy as she laced up her shoes. "My poor virgin ears had never heard such obscenities!"

"Precisely." Mandy nodded her head firmly in Marcy's direction, looking very triumphant and knowing that she'd won that particular point.

Lily rolled her eyes as she picked up her bag and waited for the other girls to be ready.

"Second – and most importantly, if you ask me –"

"Which, you might note, we didn't..." Kate stage-whispered to the other two, as they all now waited for Mandy to finish gathering her things.

Mandy sent her an impatient look, but otherwise continued as if nothing had been said: "By waking me at that precise moment, you utterly ruined what should have been a _very_ romantic moment between myself and... _The Spaniard_." She was waggling her eyebrows in a silly, yet suggestive manner, and her three friends all groaned as one.

They knew who The Spaniard was. Mandy had been dreaming about this fictional fellow since fourth year when Kate came back from a library date with a fifth year named John, practically bursting with juicy details of her spectacular first kiss. Mandy, who had not been kissed, could only imagine what it might be like. Thanks to her mother's corny movies and her own overactive imagination, The Spaniard was born one night shortly thereafter. She'd never really meant to reveal his existence, but a game of truth or dare, helped along by some ill-gotten Firewhiskey at a Quidditch party during sixth year, had somehow brought The Spaniard to light in front of her girlfriends.

He had yet to leave her dreams. Of course, she still had yet to be kissed. Not that she shared that particular piece of information with the public. Or anyone besides Lily, really.

"I really wanted to enjoy my breakfast, you know." Marcy said as she opened the door leading out of their dormitory.

"Yes, and I wanted a good snog in my dream. Guess it's a poor start to the day for all of us." Mandy replied in a chipper tone that belittled her statement.

Giggling and in high spirits, the foursome headed down to the Great Hall for their first Hogwarts breakfast of the school year.

**.oOo.**

Several hours later, her stomach still full from overeating at lunch (oh how she had missed Hogwarts food!), her bag full of shiny new homework assignments, and her brain full of mush from professors trying to cram too much in on day one, Mandy sat in the back row of the dingy potions classroom completely drained of all previous high spirits. Professor Slughorn's cauldron at the front of the room had been emitting a thick, sickly sweet cloud of smoke since they had first arrived nearly half an hour ago. It made her already exhausted mind that much foggier, and, combined with the dim lighting in the dungeon classroom, her eyelids seemed to be getting heavier by the second.

The professor was droning on and on about the properties of this plant and that animal byproduct. Lily was dutifully taking notes to her left, while Mandy doodled a sloppy flower. In the row in front of them, Kate and Marcy were scribbling notes of a different type back and forth between one another, but since passing them backwards was a bit risky, Mandy was kept out of this afternoon's gossip session. She had her book propped up on the table in front of her, and was resting her chin on her freehand. As her eyelids drooped further and further, she didn't even notice that her quill had stopped moving part-way through filling in a petal.

_Thwack!_

Something small bounced off her cheek and startled her awake. She jumped, jostling the table, and her carefully balanced book hit the floor with a slap that was all too loud in the quiet room.

All eyes turned back towards the sound, and Slughorn was now staring at her inquisitively. Thinking quickly, Mandy pasted a bright, eager smile across her features.

"I'm sorry, Professor. I just got a little overexcited there!" she chirped in a giddy – and hopefully convincing – tone. "I just find..." she quickly stole a glance at Lily's notes to see what he'd last been discussing, "...essence of poison ivy so incredibly fascinating! Especially the way _you_ describe it. There's just so much passion in your lessons, and I find it quite hard to contain myself sometimes!" She batted her lashes a couple times, and prayed the man would buy her enthusiasm.

Fortunately for Mandy, Professor Slughorn was a sucker for flattery, and his round features rearranged themselves into a smile as she spoke.

"Well now!" he said jovially, "I'm glad to see you've taken to the subject so, Ms. Kendrick. I myself often feel the very same excitement during the lessons. However, we can't be distracting the rest of the class, so please do try to keep your enthusiasm reigned in.

"Now class, I hope you all find the essence of poison ivy so fascinating as Ms. Kendrick here, because it truly is a wonderful substance in potion brewing. As I was saying, not only is it used in many poisons – as one might assume from it's nature – but it can also be utilized in a wide variety of other useful purposes..."

As Slughorn turned his attention back to the lecture and the rest of the class, Mandy sighed in relief and retrieved her book before sinking back into her chair. She glanced at Lily, who was shaking her head. But the corner of her mouth seemed to be twitching up, so Mandy knew she wasn't too disappointed.

A slight noise made her look to her right, where James Potter and Co. were trying and failing to completely smother their amusement. Narrowing her eyes, she looked down at the wadded up piece of parchment on her desk that had awakened her. Carefully un-crumpling it, she saw a brief note scrawled out in messy boy's handwriting:

_Time to wake up! Love, the Marauders_

Mandy's eyes snapped back up to the four boys across the aisle, and she fixed them with a halfhearted glare. _The Marauders_. It was how they signed all of their pranks, making sure that everyone knew who was responsible for the mischief, as if there would have been any question. Black caught her eye and had the audacity to waggle his finger at her in mock consternation. Rolling her eyes and doing her best not to smile back at their antics, she turned to face the front again.

She spent the rest of the class trying diligently to pay attention and take notes, although in all honesty she found absolutely nothing at all _fascinating_ about poison ivy and all the other potion ingredients Professor Slughorn lectured on.

**.oOo.**

By the time dinner rolled around that evening, Mandy didn't think she'd ever been so hungry. After all of their classes had finished, Lily had insisted on making the girls get a head start on their homework, and knowing they'd be fighting a losing battle, they all grudgingly obliged. Truth be told, Mandy didn't really mind Lily's nagging when it came to school work. If it wasn't for the fiery redhead, she sincerely doubted that she would have nearly the grades that she obtained each year. With her help, Mandy actually did quite well in her classes. As Lily liked to say, "you're not lacking in intelligence, just motivation."

To balance things out, Mandy tried to make sure that Lily didn't become so wrapped up in her studies that she forgot all else – like eating.

"Quills down, books away!" She crowed cheerfully when she checked her watch for the hundredth time and saw that they could finally go eat. "It's dinner time!"

"Already?" Lily said, sounding rather disappointed that they had to stop their studies.

Her voice was drowned out, however, by the much louder and more positive one of Kate. "All right! I'm starved, and these books are making my curls droop."

"As if that's possible," Marcy laughed, tugging on one of her friend's blonde locks. Sure enough, it bounced right back.

Kate swatted her hand away, and Mandy smiled as the two poked and teased at each other. Tossing her book bag under the nearest table, she looked at Lily who was neatly stacking all of her things off to the side where they were out of the way.

"Ready Lily?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"Do you guys mind if we meet you down there?" Marcy suddenly asked. "I need to freshen up first."

"Sure...?" Lily said curiously.

Kate laughed. "She's meeting up with Alex at dinner, and wants to look her best. And of course, I'm going to help her."

Mandy grinned. "Of course. Come on Lily, let's go fill our stomachs."

A short ways outside of the portrait hole, the two girls were ambushed by the charming group of boys that called themselves Marauders.

"Well, hello there, Lily dearest. Fancy meeting you here!" James, of course. "May I have the honor of walking you to dinner?"

So smooth, so suave...so corny. Mandy rolled her eyes, even as Lily accepted his arm, saying, "Oh why not? You can walk with me, James."

As the boy's face split into a smile larger than one would think possible, Mandy exchanged looks with his friends and they all burst into laughter as they fell into step behind the not-quite-couple. Lily shot them a nasty look, but James was too pleased with himself to notice.

"So Mandy..." Sirius began in a tone that could only mean trouble. He was standing beside her, and she eyed him cautiously. "Did you have a nice nap in Potions this afternoon?"

"You really did miss a good lecture, you know..." Peter said, looking absolutely serious save for the twinkle in his eye.

"_Fascinating_ subject, that poison ivy..." Remus added.

"Just thinking about it gives me goosebumps and fills me with the most marvelous sense of _passion_." Sirius finished, fluttering his eyelashes at her and saying the word in a positively sinful manner.

"Oh, you prats!" Mandy exclaimed, playfully shoving him in the shoulder. "You're supposed to pick on the Slytherins in class, or at the very least Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff. Not _me_, your beloved housemate."

He placed his hand on his shoulder feigning great injury, and Peter gasped in mock astonishment.

"_Pick_ on you?" Peter cried, sounding quite aghast. "My dear Ms. Kendrick, I can assure you that Mr. Black only had your best interests at heart!"

"Really?" she retorted, her eyebrow arched. Despite herself, Mandy couldn't help but be curious as to where they would go with this. "And what interests might those be?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Sirius said softly, his face full of compassion. Then, leaning over and placing his hand conspiratorially next to his mouth, he said in a stage whisper, "You were on the verge of snoring."

It was now Mandy's turn to gasp and look shocked. "I most certainly was not!"

He nodded morosely. "Alas, but you were."

James, without removing his arm from Lily's, called back, "It's sad, but true."

Mandy harrumphed, and opened her mouth to speak, but Sirius wasn't finished.

His voice and expression suddenly chipper, he continued. "If you had snored, you would have been publicly humiliated, and Professor Slughorn would have taken house points, shaming all of us."

"I do not snore !"

"Regardless, if he had caught you sleeping, you would have still lost the points."

"If I hadn't been so quick to think up an excuse, I would have lost the points anyway," she grumbled.

"Well, life's a gamble!" was his merry reply. "Besides, it wouldn't be the first points Gryffindor lost today!"

Lily looked back at that statement. "Sirius Black! You've lost points already? It's only the first day of classes!" Her green eyes then flashed to her escort, who's hazel ones widened innocently in response.

"Who said we lost them? Don't worry Lily, I'm head boy this year; I'll behave!"

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously at the boy, but she continued to walk with him.

Mandy cast a pleading look to Remus. "You're supposed to be the levelheaded one, Remus. Help me out here."

The sandy-haired boy only shrugged his shoulders and raised his hands hopelessly. "Sorry, but I'm with my mates on this one. We saved you, and our precious house points."

"But –"

"Furthermore," Sirius interrupted once again, "if we hadn't intervened, you wouldn't have been given that beautiful opportunity to charm the socks off old Sluggy, which is sure to be beneficial in the future." All this in a very matter-of-fact sort of way.

She rolled her eyes. "I did not _charm_ him..."

He looked at her incredulously, before smiling and batting his eyelashes at an alarming rate. "_Oooh_, Professor Slughorn, I love the way _yoouuu_ teach. I just can't _contain_ myself!" He sang in a high-pitched voice.

Mandy knew she had lost this one, and could see no point in continuing. With a sigh, she threw her hands up in defeat. "Very well, you've made your case. It would seem that I owe you a debt of gratitude."

The instant the words were out her mouth, she regretted saying them. The boys all exchanged devilish looks, and it was Sirius who said with an arrogant smirk, "I'll hold you to that."

It's not healthy to owe a Marauder

**A/N:** Please leave a review if you like the story, and if I've made any horrendous mistakes feel free to point them out. :) Thanks for reading!

– Sara


	4. Luscious Lips

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter's world, including – but not limited to – Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore, and _Wingardium Leviosa_. If I did, I would simply publish another book and make some money, rather than posting this story online for free. But alas, I am but a poor waitress...

**Chapter 4: Luscious Lips**

Divination was Mandy's only class that she didn't share with Lily. The redhead had dismissed prophecies and the like as being "a whole lot of hogwash," and refused to participate in such superstitious nonsense. A bit ironic, considering that she'd gone through the first decade of her life thinking that all of magic was make-believe.

Mandy, for her part, had yet to fully believe in destiny and fortune-telling, but it was an easy class with a relatively light workload, and therefore the perfect subject to have to end the school day on a lazy, Friday afternoon. She was partnered with Kate, who – despite putting a lot of stock in Divination – was usually an enjoyable and entertaining study-buddy. Marcy, being rather neutral on the subject, had opted for Arithmancy with Lily.

All four of the Marauders were taking the class, most likely for the same reasons as Mandy. She was fairly certain they didn't do anything alone, or take anything seriously. While waiting for Kate to see whatever was lurking in the depths of their crystal ball, she couldn't help eavesdropping on the boys' predictions.

"Hmm," Remus mused, "I see you running...you're being chased...by a large cat!"

Peter sent him a withering look, and barely glanced at the crystal ball before replying, "You're going to catch fleas from Sirius."

"Hey, I don't have fleas!" At the next table, Sirius Black looked highly offended.

"Not yet..." James said in a mysterious voice, "but beware! Also, you're wishing for a belly scratch."

"You're supposed to be reading my future, not my mind."

"...I'm just that powerful: I can do both." Leaning back on the hind legs of his chair, James exuded an air of indifferent confidence.

Sirius arched an eyebrow at his best friend. "Oh really? Well I predict that you have a major weakness, who goes by the name of–"

"Shut it!" James had happened to glance in Mandy's direction and caught her eavesdropping. The front legs of his chair slammed back to the floor, and he was now fixing Sirius with a harsh look that clearly said, _don't you dare finish that sentence._

"Aha!" Her partner's sudden exclamation brought her attention back to her own table, and away from the utterly ridiculous predictions of her classmates. Honestly, they were worse than her own highly fictional dream diaries the elderly professor assigned each year (there was just no way she was sharing her little fantasies in a class project). Even so, she had her sneaking suspicions as to whom Sirius may have been referring...

"I can see your future!" Kate was saying excitedly. "There is a shadowy figure approaching, and it looks like a male. I think that means you're going to meet someone!"

"Meet someone?" It was apparently now their turn to be eavesdropped upon, as one Mr. James Potter was looking at them inquisitively, waiting for further explanation. The other boys looked on as well, with varying degrees of curiosity and/or mischief written across their faces.

"Yes, don't be dense, James. She's going to _meet_ someone!" She placed a heavy, implicating emphasis on the term, then squealed in a most girly fashion. "Oooh, Mandy! You're finally going to get a boyfriend!"

Mandy felt her whole face flush a deep red. Could her friend have made that proclamation any louder? "I've had boyfriends before..." she tried to save at least some of her dignity, feeling the eyes of more than a couple additional students on her.

"Oh, no you have not," Kate waved her hand dismissively through the air. "You have gone on dates with a couple blokes here and there. It's not the same thing." She finally lowered her voice to a normal, 'indoor' level. "I bet you never even kissed any of 'em."

Lily couldn't have possibly told her, could she? No, Mandy reasoned, Kate was just perceptive. Still, best to try to keep that particular cat in the bag. Trying to keep her voice cool and casual, she replied, "Come off it, Kate. I've kissed plenty."

Kate rolled her eyes in response. "Girl, you know I love you," she began matter-of-factly, "but The Spaniard just does not count."

Mandy missed the confused look Sirius threw to his comrades, as her face seemed to catch fire. More blood than she would have thought possible rushed to her cheeks, her jaw dropped, and her hazel eyes popped wide open as she stared at the girl across the table in shock and disbelief. She didn't know what had gotten into her blonde friend to make her speak so freely in public, but bringing _him_ up in mixed company definitely crossed the metaphorical line.

She snapped.

Kate took in the brunette's horrified expression, and her hand began to fly to her mouth in realization of what she'd just said. By the time it reached its destination, her lips were already five times their regular size thanks to Mandy's first jinx, and they were still growing. She wouldn't discover her suddenly green and purple hair until she later saw a mirror.

"Oh my...! What is going on here?" Professor Palmer, fluttering over to the commotion. The Marauders were in stitches, drawing the attention of other classmates. Kate's ridiculous appearance and loud, incomprehensible protests insured that the entire class was now disrupted.

Adding to the Professor's dismay, the poor girl began flailing her arms, knocking the forgotten crystal ball to the floor where it shattered into a million tiny, sparkling shards.

"Enough!" Palmer yelled into the ruckus. "Everyone, quiet down. That will be 20 points from Gryffindor for hexing another student, and detention for you, Miss Kendrick. Mr. Lupin, will you please kindly show Miss Johnson to the infirmary."

Mandy's rage dissipated as quickly as it had appeared, and her face melted into despair. "But –"

The Professor held up her hand as she turned to walk back to her desk, not even bothering to look back. "Not another word, Miss Kendrick."

Looking towards the door, Mandy just caught a glimpse of Kate's face, lips distorted and an absolute river of tears running down the girl's cheeks. Her stomach sank, and she suddenly felt immensely horrible about what she'd just done to someone she called a friend.

A slow clapping drew her attention to the remaining Marauders, who were still eyeing her with amusement and what appeared to be admiration. "Bravo!" James said appreciatively. "That was quite the show!"

_They __would__ like that_, she thought bitterly, looking away.

"Who the hell is _The Spaniard_?" Sirius' voice was quiet and most likely not meant for her ears, but she heard him just the same.

With a frustrated groan, she let her forehead fall onto the now empty table, and didn't move for the remainder of the period. So much for her first weekend back at Hogwarts.

**.oOo.**

On her way to detention that evening, Mandy couldn't stop the replay of the day's events. After the disastrous Divination class, she had rushed to the infirmary to try to apologize to Kate. The previously-blonde had turned her swollen lips away from her in a clear dismissal, and she'd left the hospital wing with her head hung low.

Her shame was only increased when Lily caught up with her. Marcy had, by that time, hurried off to see to her friend, but the beautiful Head Girl had a thing or two to say about Mandy's behavior.

"_What on EARTH were you thinking? You can't just go around cursing people __– __especially when that person is supposed to be one of your best friends!"_

_Mandy, caught somewhat off-guard by her usually level-headed companion's aggressive outburst, started to go on the defense. "It wasn't a __curse__, it was a hex. And she brought up The Spaniard!"_

_Lily fixed her with a glare that sent shivers down her spine, and she cast her eyes down in shame. Great, now she'd mouthed off to what might possibly be her only remaining friend, since God knew Marcy would abandon her if Kate told her to._

_But Lily's words were somewhat softer when she finally spoke again. "Mandy, what she did may not have been right, but you know she didn't mean anything by it. You owe her a hell of an apology, and I sincerely hope she's feeling gracious when you speak to her."_

_Mandy didn't bother to tell her that she'd already tried that. Too soon, she knew Lily would say, too soon._

"_And on top of all that," Lily continued, "you lost us house points, and the first week is barely finished." She shook her head in disappointment. "I might have expected that from someone like James or Sirius, but not you. I hope you'll think over that and learn from this experience during your detention." Somehow, she managed to say this without seeming in the least bit condescending._

_She couldn't look the Head Girl in the eyes anymore, as she felt tears pricking in her own. Lily didn't say anything else, just gave her a small squeeze on the shoulder and walked away._

Mandy had found her own way to the library, not wanting to deal with anyone that might be lurking in the common room, and tried to focus on some homework in a small attempt to regain Lily's favor. By the time dinner rolled around and she left for the Great Hall, however, she hadn't really accomplished anything.

Dinner, in and of itself, was a whole other torture. She didn't know which she hated more: the disapproving looks from the more righteous students, or the congratulatory smiles and remarks from the kids who enjoyed blatant disrespect for school policy.

For the first time since her return to Hogwarts at the beginning of the week, she hardly touched her food and left the Gryffindor table with her stomach still in knots.

Wallowing in her self misery as she was, she didn't notice the footsteps approaching her, and was thus caught unawares when a voice suddenly piped up beside her.

"Awfully late for a walk, isn't it?"

Momentarily startled, Mandy turned to find herself walking with none other than renowned trouble-maker Sirius Black.

Quickly regaining her fairly morose disposition, she simply replied, "Then what are you doing here?"

"Why, I'm on my way to detention of course. What, you're surprised?" He asked, noticing her slight confusion.

"No. Well yes. But only to the fact that you seem to be heading there alone." None of the other Marauders were anywhere to be seen, and it had always been her assumption that if one of them was to be punished, they all were.

He chuckled, looking quite pleased with himself despite their (in her opinion) rather gloomy destination. "I'm hardly alone, am I? What with you here and all."

Her features remained nonplussed.

"Ah, you mean my fellow mischief makers. Well, you see, the professors – particularly McGonagal – realized some time ago the folly in letting us serve detentions as a unit. Alas, we are all now required to take our doses of punishment in turn."

"Makes sense," she allowed. And it did. If they got into so much trouble together, why give them further opportunity when they were meant to be repenting?

They continued walking in silence for a ways, then a question that had been bothering her since the Divination classroom finally bubbled to the surface. "So what is it exactly that we're meant to be subjected to for this detention?"

"Oh, all the _worst_ sorts of things, you know." Sirius stated in an all too cheerful voice. "Filch takes entirely too much pleasure out of the whole 'punishment' aspect of things. We'll most likely be hung from our wrists by shackles, beaten with old broomsticks, nibbled upon by vengeful pixies..."

He continued on in this gruesome line of thinking all the way to Filch's office, where they were merely assigned to polishing everything in the trophy room.

"You're lucky," he whispered as soon as they were out of earshot of the grouchy caretaker, "he's going easy on you since you're new here."

Mandy couldn't help a small smile in spite of herself.

They had been polishing trophies for all of about two minutes when Sirius broached the subject they had both been anticipating since he first caught up with her.

"So that was quite the display you put on in Divination today."

Mandy could feel the color in her cheeks rise ever so much, but she, made only a non-committal "Mmmh" in reply.

"I don't think I've ever seen Professor Palmer quite so flustered." He was not one to easily give up. "And I _know_ I've never seen lips that big."

Her cheeks warmed even more and she turned to face him, a frown placed quite solidly across her face.

"The hair, on the other hand, was a tad unoriginal. I mean, who hasn't jinxed someone's hair an awful color? Very second year, that."

"She had a big mouth, and I only made it more obvious." Mandy snapped without thinking. "The hair was... a bit of an accident."

Sirius laughed, and gave her a quizzical look. "A big mouth? What, for mentioning your lack of boyfriends? Or abundance of mediocre dates, depending on how you look at it."

She scoffed at the insinuation. "I have had plenty of perfectly decent dates, thank you very much!"

"'Perfectly decent' is nowhere near great, or even good. And from what I've heard, they weren't even that."

"Excuse me?"

"Danny York."

She smirked at the memory. Danny had graduated last year, but before he left he'd asked her to Hogsmeade. He seemed nice enough, so she'd obliged. He had taken her to Madame Puddifoot's (ew, tacky), then tried to caress her cheek. She had gently pushed his hand away. When he proceeded to place that wandering hand on her thigh, she had socked him in the family jewels. No means no, and he learned his lesson that day.

"That wasn't my fault, he had it coming."

"Mark Dobson?"

"No confidence." The poor Hufflepuff had asked her to sit with him at dinner one night. He was so nervous that he spilled his entire goblet of pumpkin juice in her lap. He was a sweet boy, but he would never have been able to keep up with her and her friends. She wanted a boyfriend, not an accessory.

Sirius didn't say anything else, and Mandy looked up from the bronze statue he was polishing to find him staring expectantly at her.

"What?" she asked, the word coming out more defensively than she would have liked.

"Those are the only two blokes I can think of that you've gone out with, and they only prove my point. She didn't really say anything that wasn't already common knowledge..."

He paused, as if waiting for her to further explain. Instead, she turned her attentions back to the statue and scrubbed it harder than ever, hiding her eyes behind her thick fringe and praying to Merlin that he hadn't caught Kate's slip about the Spaniard.

"Except –"

Ah, no such luck. "Do you think this is clean enough?" She loudly interrupted, thrusting the statue in front of his face. Her face was set in a determined glare, silently demanding the end of the conversation. She could see the questions and curiosity brewing behind his eyes, but he didn't let any of it reach his lips.

"I'm sure it's fine," he replied, although his gaze never left hers to actually look at the object in front of him.

His stare was somewhat unnerving, as if he was trying to read her thoughts since she wasn't giving him any verbal answers. "Good," she said simply, blinking and turning to break the eye-contact.

She reached for the next trophy needing to be polished, and the rest of their detention passed in silence. Mandy couldn't quite decide whether or not it was awkward. Part of her felt that it was, since conversation would only be natural while working in such close perimeters, but at the same time the busy work kept her hands preoccupied while her mind wandered, and the quiet was almost peaceful.

After Filch finally released them, however, a silent walk through the castle became too much for her and she blurted out the thought that had been gnawing away at her increasingly throughout the detention. "Lily is disappointed in me."

After so long without use, her voice was soft. Sirius made no reply and she wondered if he had even heard, but then decided she didn't care. It's not like she had anyone else to talk to at the moment. Even if everyone hadn't been sleeping already, she was fairly certain that two of her friends hated her.

"She's lectured me about little things like homework and keeping my things tidier, but she's never really been _disappointed_ in me before. The way she looked at me earlier... I've never felt so ashamed of myself." Mandy sighed in a defeated manner as she fell silent again.

"Do you know James once threw one of Remus' essays into the fireplace back in fifth year?" Sirius' voice seemed loud in the quiet hallway and nearly startled the girl beside him.

She looked up at him quizzically, not really understanding where the sudden story was coming from. "Why?"

He shrugged nonchalantly. "He was frustrated with the heavy workload for the exams, and when Remus got on him about finishing the transfiguration essay, which _he_ of course had already finished, James just snapped. He grabbed it out of his hands and burnt the whole thing, all ten-and-a-half feet of it."

"That's awful!" Mandy exclaimed, looking properly horrified. She remembered all too well the stress leading up to their OWL's, and couldn't even imagine her reaction had someone destroyed any of her hard work.

But to her surprise, the teen beside her laughed at the memory. "Yeah, Remus thought so too. They had a huge row about it. But James later groveled and Remus got over it quick enough. Your friends will too."

Mandy blinked in surprise. Was Sirius Black showing actual compassion for someone besides his mates and McGonagal? Shock left her silent, and it was just as well, for they'd reached the portrait of the fat lady.

"Jibberjabber," Sirius called out, and the portal swung open to admit them. "Chin up, Kendrick," he said as they split toward their separate dormitories, "You'll be alright."

**A/N:** Please leave a review if you like the story, and if I've made any horrendous mistakes feel free to point them out. :) Thanks for reading!

– Sara


End file.
